Jorgos Barcokas spoke to journalists after the defeat against Zvezda.
Red Star Meridianbet achieved a great victory, she defeated Olympiakos in front of her fans (87:79). After the meeting, Jorgos Barcokas spoke to the media at the press conference and opened his heart. He received applause and praise at the end for the time he took to answer, especially since his team was defeated in Pionir.
First he praised the red and white.
“I congratulate Zvezda for their motivation, physicality, energy, I tried to convince my players that they all have more motivation to play against us, even though Zvezda has no chance for the playoffs. Nobody is giving us anything, we have to bleed to win the match. A lot of players were out of the game, a lot of them were out of the match, they didn’t feel the match, what they should do, to fulfill their role. We have one more chance to finish the season, we need to win Baskonia for the top of the table. That would be a big thing for us, we have to play much better than now. This match will help us to be on the right track, to understand what is important in basketball and what we need to do as a team to end the season with the best possible match. I wish Zvezda luck in the ABA League,” Barcokas said and also praised the atmosphere, noting that it was “fantastic, beautiful and full of respect for his team as well.”
There followed a question about his statement that part of the team was “out of the match”, he tried to explain what he meant.
“Why? We are winning, we have a good score in the table, we won 10 away matches, we also had some injuries, we need to return to winning form. I can’t accept the word fatigue, as if you are tired of winning, maybe defeat is sometimes good to come back. We are not tired of winning, only that sometimes a defeat like this one helps to convince the players what is important in basketball, a jump, a foul, a basket, we have big ambitions. We are doing well, we are first, we have to put our noses down and keep playing.”
The Serbian team defeated Olympiakos twice this season, first in Piraeus, and then in Pionir. Facundo Kampaco did not play in the first match.
“To be honest, in that first match we lost in Piraeus, Zvezda played great without Kampac, you have to ask Duško what he thinks about it. They have a great team, many good players, the Euroleague is really tough, that’s why it’s so competitive, Armani, Zvezda, two strong and talented teams that do not go further. Sometimes details decide, injuries, chemistry is always sensitive, it takes time to understand what is needed to win.”
Again Jorgos was asked about the mistakes of his chosen ones and what must be done differently.
“It depends on each individual, if you have a person who jumps great, then he has to catch those balls, if you have a good defender, he has to play defense well. We had a lot of turnovers, nine in the third period, we lost that moment, we lost confidence , Zvezda got it. When you analyze a match, there are many things you can ask of a player. We weren’t ready to do as a team what got us here, ball movement, assists, I saw a lot of options to pass, which didn’t happen. If we didn’t do it now, it means we didn’t have the concentration to play the match properly.”
He is convinced that Zvezda would have been dangerous if they had entered the top eight in the Euroleague.
“Had she passed, she would certainly have been competitive and a contender for success. Still, we have to tell it like it is. Several times in the season it happened that the last team in the standings got the favorite. You have to play all year, forget the defeats and move on. I see a lot of teams that should play in the playoffs. For the first time in history, six or seven teams are fighting for that eighth position, a real fight. It’s really difficult, only eight go further, we need even more teams to go to the playoffs,” Barcokas concluded.
Before he got up, he wanted to say one more thing. “It is interesting how in Serbia in Pionir we have so many people at the press conference and how interested they are in basketball. I respect that a lot.”
See description
THE STAR WOULD BE DANGEROUS IN THE TOP 8 OF THE EUROLIGA! Barcokas opened his soul in Pionir, received applause: Kampaco? Ask Duška!
